BENGALURU: A 15-hour delay of a SpiceJet flight to Mumbai left over 190 passengers stranded at Bengaluru airport on Wednesday. Passengers were at their wit’s end as the airline allegedly failed to give a proper explanation for the delay. The airline later confirmed that a technical snag in the aircraft had caused the situation. Finally, flight SG 385, which was originally scheduled to take off from Bengaluru at 6am and touch down in Mumbai at 7.40am, took off after 9.10pm.
The passengers, including children, elderly and a few on wheelchairs, were asked to report early on Wednesday as the takeoff was advanced to 5.40am.”We boarded the plane, but for unknown reasons, it remained on the tarmac for over two hours,” said Pramila Shetty, who was heading for Mumbai for a wedding ceremony.
She said the crew made all the passengers disembark around 8am. “We were not given any explanation,” she rued. SpiceJet ground crew later said the plane would take off around 12.30pm, but it was moved further to 3.30pm. By then, several passengers lost their cool.
“Passengers had heated arguments with the ground staff as they failed to give a clear picture on the situation. Many passengers were not provided with food or water, which added to their woes,” said a SpiceJet staffer on condition of anonymity.
The passengers, including children, elderly and a few on wheelchairs, were asked to report early on Wednesday as the takeoff was advanced to 5.40am.”We boarded the plane, but for unknown reasons, it remained on the tarmac for over two hours,” said Pramila Shetty, who was heading for Mumbai for a wedding ceremony.
She said the crew made all the passengers disembark around 8am. “We were not given any explanation,” she rued. SpiceJet ground crew later said the plane would take off around 12.30pm, but it was moved further to 3.30pm. By then, several passengers lost their cool.
“Passengers had heated arguments with the ground staff as they failed to give a clear picture on the situation. Many passengers were not provided with food or water, which added to their woes,” said a SpiceJet staffer on condition of anonymity.